A Texas Couple Ties the Knot in New Orleans

Sheila and Todd Elope under the Oaks

When you hear the word “elopement”, the visual of a young couple hopping on a plane with a single suitcase and getting hitched by a questionable Elvis in a dingy Vegas chapel might come to mind. I know that’s how I used to think of them, anyway!

But through my work as an Elopement Photographer in New Orleans, I’ve come to see elopements in a very different light. They are often less about spontaneity and more about simplicity. And many cases have been second marriages for people who have already done the big wedding thing.

Simply put, elopements aren’t just for young, headstrong couples anymore. I’m seeing older couples elope more and more frequently and I am 100% here for it.

Sheila and Todd are one of those couples who found love in each other later in life. They had both been married, raised kids, and saw divorce before they fell in love with each other. For Sheila and Todd, eloping was about celebrating their love without worrying about what anyone else thinks. The slipped away from Texas for the weekend and tied the knot in City Park with a little help from little ole me.

On our initial consult call, Sheila let me know that she and Todd were religious and wanted a christian minister for their ceremony. Most of the elopement couples who contact me aren’t religious and I didn’t have any christian ministers on my roster! But I assured Sheila I would find someone wonderful to officiate for her ceremony and set off on a quest to find that wonderful someone.

I went through my network of reverends I typically use and got a recommendation for Marissa Horvath, a Methodist minister here in New Orleans. I looked her up and couldn’t believe that this tiny, blonde, adorable woman was a pastor! But she was and she was happy to meet us in the park for a sweet Spring elopement.

We had fun taking wedding portraits before the pastor arrived. Sheila and Todd were easy to catch smiling because all I really had to do was get them to look at each other! They both lit up when they saw each other’s face. It was really sweet watching how completely in love they were with each other. They’re proof that even when a relationship you thought would last forever ends there’s always a second chance at love.

Pastor Horvath officiated a beautiful, simple ceremony just as the sun was setting in New Orleans City Park. The photos were lit beautifully and I found myself getting a little misty eyed as Sheila beamed when Todd said “I do”. We were all so excited about the ceremony that we nearly let Marissa leave with the paperwork! My assistant caught her before she made it to her car and they both came back to seal the deal.

We finished out our time together with a few more portraits. The newlyweds had me take a few with their phones so they could send them to their kids who were back at home completely unaware their parents ran off and got hitched! This may have been a second marriage and there was no sketchy Elvis involved, but perhaps this elopement was more classic than I originally thought.

Enjoy this selection of images from Sheila and Todd’s City Park Elopement.

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